Prefabricated roofing systems

ABSTRACT

In a prefabricated roofing system using steel members and intended for rapid fabrication locating means such as vertical protruding pins are provided on each of two parallel end walls, and a longitudinal roof truss member is mounted on these pins extending between the two walls. Gable members are then mounted over the locating means in register with the walls and are then locked to the adjacent ends of the roof truss member.

United States Patent 1 1 1111 3,902,280

Spear et a1. Sept. 2, 1975 PREFABRICATED ROOFING SYSTEMS 2,943,3667/1960 Sanford 52/643 x 3,312,018 4/1967 Fourmanoit 52/90 [75] InventorsMlchael SP0", Tharflesfordi 3,841,040 10 1974 Toulson et a1. 52 92Andrew Steven Zakrzewskn, Burlington, both of Canada FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 1,432,691 2/1966 France 52/92 [73] Asslgnee' gfiza ifi' fgli i f 959,642 10/1949 France 52/90 Filed: 1 1974 Primary Examiner-4.Karl Bell [21] AppL NOJ 528,200 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Stanley .1.Rogers 30 Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT Dec. 5, 1973United Kingdom 56375/73 In a Prefabricated roofing System using Steelmembers and intended for rapid fabrication locating means such 52 us.c1. 59/92; 52/585; 52/643 as vertical protruding Pills are provided oneach of 51 Int. 01. E04B 7/02 two parallel end walls, n a longitudinalroof truss 58 Field of Search 52/90 93, 639, member is mounted on thesepills extending between 52/643 47 54, 5 5 the two walls. Gable membersare then mounted over the locating means in register with the walls andare 5 References Cited then locked to the adjacent ends of the rooftruss UNITED STATES PATENTS member- 2,7l4,782 8/1955 Dinn 52/92 X 11Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEUSEP 2 ms SHEET 2 [If 2 PREFABRICATEDROOFING SYSTEMS The present invention is concerned with improvements inor relating to prefabricated roofn g systems, and especially to suchsystems employing prefabricated steel members.

There have been a number of proposals hitherto for systems employingdifferent degrees of prefabrication for houses and similar structures.These proposals range from a small amount of prefabrication, such asprefabrication of the roof trusses, to complete manufacture of a housewithin a plant and subsequent transport of the completed house to thesite. There is also a continuing endeavour to make use of steel in theconstruction of domestic housing, in view of the shortage of suitablewoods at a reasonable price. The use of steel increases the possibilityof economically using prefabricated housing sections, but many of thestructures used hitherto appear to be relatively complicated in themanner in which the prefabricated sections fit and are connectedtogether, increasing the expense of manufacture and the difficulty oferection without the use of relatively skilled labour.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new prefabricatedroofing system employing steel members.

It is a more specific object to provide a new prefabricated roofingsystem employing steel members that is particularly suited for use indomestic housing.

It is a further object to provide a prefabricated roof structure thatcan be quickly and simply erected with positive alignment of the partsthereof and without the use of special equipment or fixtures on site.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided aprefabricated roofing system comprising two spaced parallel walls,locating means disposed on each wall, a longitudinal roof truss memberextending between and supported by the two walls, and engaging the saidlocating means at its opposite ends to locate the truss member inposition relative to the walls, and two gable members each registerablewith one of the walls and engaging the said locating means, and meansfor locking together each gable member and its adjacent truss end.

Preferably the longitudinal truss member is provided with respectiveprojecting end members for engagement of the truss with the locatingmeans on the walls so as to permit location of the gable members on thewalls with the truss member ends abutting the gable members.

The said locating means may comprise a pair of spacedvertically-extending pins disposed centrally of the length of therespective wall, and another pair of verticallyextending pins eachdisposed adjacent one end of the respective wall, the central pins beinglonger than the other pins.

Means for locking together each gable member and its adjacent truss endmay comprise a horizontal member on the gable member engaging a bracketadjacent the top of the truss end, and means fastening the horizontalmember and the bracket together.

In a system including roof panels extending between each immediatelyadjacent pair of gable members, the means for securing each panel to itsrespective gable member may comprise at least one headed pin extendinggenerally vertically from each gable member, each pin being engageableby a respective pear-shaped aperture of the panel member, each aperturehaving its narrow end uppermost and of too small diameter to pass overthe head of the pin.

A roofing system which is a particularly preferred embodiment of theinvention will now be described, by way of example, with reference tothe accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a complete house to show the generalarrangement of the roof structure,

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing one end only of the structure with alongitudinal truss member in position and an end gable member positionedfor mounting thereon, and

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view to a larger scale to show aconstructional detail of the manner in which roof members are mounted onthe end gable members.

FIG. 1 illustrates one of the simplest types of housing unit to whichthe roofing system of the present invention is likely to be applied,consisting of a structure that is rectangular in plan comprising two endwalls 10 and two side walls 12. The entire :roof structure is locatedabove the insulation envelope of the house, and accordingly the topedges of the walls 10 and 12 are constituted by at least one layer 114of material providing a suitable thermal break, so that the layer orlayers are interposed between the walls and the members sup portedthereby.

At the centre of each of the two end walls there is provided arespective fixture 16, which is fastened to the wall by any suitablemeans (not shown) and has two longer locating pins 18 extendingvertically upward therefrom. A lightweight central locating truss memberis indicated generally by the reference 20 and is constituted byvertical end posts 22, parallel horizontal longitudinal bars 24 andtransverse bracing members, such as 26. Each vertical truss end post isfastened at its bottom end to a horizontally-extending plate 28 providedwith locating apertures 30, which fit accurately over the locating pins18. With the truss 20 in position the two end walls 10 are firmly bracedapart thereby at the required distance to receive prefabricated roofpanels. The top edges of the walls 10 are also provided adjacent to thewalls 12 with members 32 carrying verticallyupward projecting locatingpins 34, the pins 34 being of shorter length than the pins 18.

An end gable truss is indicated generally by the reference 36 and isconstituted by a horizontal bottom member 38, two inclined members 40and vertical struts 42. The bottom member 38 is provided with locatingholes 44 for engagement on the pins 18 and 34 and will first engage thepins 18, because of their longer length. Thereafter the other holes 44are readily engaged on the pins 34, and with all pins engaged the gableend is located accurately in position on top of the wall and is alsoaccurately located in its abutting relation to the longitudinal truss,while locking the end plate 28 to the wall. A horizontal member 46between the two central struts 42 engages a bracket 48 on the adjacentend post 22 and is fastened thereto, for example by bolting.

It will be seen that a rigid, cross-braced frame structure is nowprovided upon which rectangular roof panels 50 may be located. Asindicated above the truss member 20 is of relatively light construction,since its principal purpose is to brace the end gables which support theroof panels; the truss may also receive and support ceiling supportingbeams. In view of the small size of the unit particularly illustratedonly a single longitudinal truss and two gable end members 36 arerequired, but it will be apparent that in larger structures one or moreintermediate gable members may be used, and in addition more than onelongitudinal truss may be employed.

Referring now especially to FIG. 3, each roof panel preferably consistsof a rectangular structure formed of a plurality of shallow C-sectionjoists 52 connected at their ends by a header 54 and covered on theupper face with a sheet 55 of a suitable material such as plywood. Asupporting flange 56 extends from each header 54 and is provided with adown-turned retaining edge 58. Each locating flange is provided with oneor more pear-shaped locating holes 60, each of which can engage with acorresponding headed locating pin 62 on the inclined member 40 of acorresponding gable truss. Thus, the lower roof panel members 50 arefirst lowered into position until the holes engage over the pins, andthereafter the panels are slid downwards until the pins engage in thesmaller ends of the pear-shaped holes, these ends being too small forthe pin heads to pass through. The pins quickly and accurately locatethe panels, while the heads prevent any lifting of the panels, forexample by winds, so that a safe structure is immediately obtained. Thecrane used to lift the panels into position may now be disengagedwithout danger that the roof decks will move out of position. A secondupper set of roof panel members 50 may then be placed in position withspacing bars 64 in between accurately locating them relative to thefirst-mentioned panels 50. Thereafter the gaps between the panels arefilled with strips of suitable material, such as plywood, to give acontinuous surface to which conventional roofing such as shingles can beapplied.

In the embodiment illustrated the roof decks span between the two gablewalls 36, which are end walls, and have their side flanges 56 placedover the top of the gable walls. In other embodiments the edges of thepanels may rest directly upon the members 40 of the gables which will becorrespondingly shorter in length. The plywood cover on the roof decksis locally cut out around the hole to permit passage of the locatingpins. At any convenient time the roof panels can be permanently securedto the gable walls by screws or by welding together the abutting metalmembers.

We claim:

1. A prefabricated roofing system comprising two spaced parallel walls,locating means disposed on each wall, a longitudinal roof truss memberextending between and supported by the two walls, and engaging the saidlocating means at its opposite ends to locate the truss member inposition relative to the walls, and two gable members each registerablewith one of the walls and engaging the said locating means, and meansfor locking together each gable member and its adjacent truss end.

2. A roofing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the longitudinaltruss member is provided with respective projecting end members forengagement of the truss with the locating means on the walls so as topermit location of the gable members on the walls with the truss memberends abutting the gable members.

3. A roofing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said locatingmeans comprise a pair of spaced vertically-extending pins disposedcentrally of the length of the respective wall, and another pair ofverticallyextending pins each disposed adjacent one end of therespective wall, the central pins being longer than the other pins.

4. A roofing system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said locatingmeans comprise a pair of spaced vertically-extending pins disposedcentrally of the length of the respective wall, and another pair ofverticallyextending pins each disposed adjacent one end of therespective wall, the central pins being longer than the other pins.

5. A roofing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein means for lockingtogether each gable member and its adjacent truss end comprise ahorizontal member on the gable member engaging a bracket adjacent thetop of the truss end, and means fastening the horizontal member and thebracket together.

6. A roofing system as claimed in claim 2, wherein means for lockingtogether each gable member and its adjacent truss end comprise ahorizontal member on the gable member engaging a bracket adjacent thetop of the truss end, and means fastening the horizontal member and thebracket together.

7. A roofing system as claimed in claim 3, wherein means for lockingtogether each gable member and its adjacent truss end comprise ahorizontal member on the gable member engaging a bracket adjacent thetop of the truss end, and means fastening the horizontal member and thebracket together.

8. A roofing system as claimed in claim 1, including roof panelsextending between each immediately adjacent pair of gable members,wherein the means for securing each panel to its respective gable membercomprise at least one headed pin extending generally vertically fromeach gable member, each pin being engageable by a respective pear-shapedaperture of the panel member, each aperture having its narrow enduppermost and of too small diameter to pass over the head of the pin.

9. A roofing system as claimed in claim 2, including roof panelsextending between each immediately adjacent pair of gable members,wherein the means for securing each panel to its respective gable membercomprise at least one headed pin extending generally vertically fromeach gable member, each pin being engageable by a respective pear-shapedaperture of the panel member, each aperture having its narrow enduppermost and of too small diameter to pass over the head of the pin.

10. A roofing system as claimed in claim 3, including roof panelsextending between each immediately adjacent pair of gable members,wherein the means for se curing each panel to its respective gablemember comprise at least one headed pin extending generally verticallyfrom each gable member, each pin being engageable by a respectivepear-shaped aperture of the panel member, each aperture having itsnarrow end uppermost and of too small diameter to pass over the head ofthe pin.

1 l. A roofing system as claimed in claim 5, including roof panelsextending between each immediately adjacent pair of gable members,wherein the means for securing each panel to its respective gable membercomprise at least one headed pin extending generally vertically fromeach gable member, each pin being engageable by a respective pear-shapedaperture of the panel member, each aperture having its narrow enduppermost and of too small diameter to pass over the head of the pin.

1. A prefabricated roofing system comprising two spaced parallel walls,locating means disposed on each wall, a longitudinal roof truss memberextending between and supported by the two walls, and engaging the saidlocating means at its opposite ends to locate the truss member inposition relative to the walls, and two gable members each registerablewith one of the walls and engaging the said locating means, and meansfor locking together each gable member and its adjacent truss end.
 2. Aroofing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the longitudinal trussmember is provided with respective projecting end members for engagementof the truss with the locating means on the walls so as to permitlocation of the gable members on the walls with the truss member endsabutting the gable members.
 3. A roofing system as claimed in claim 1,wherein the said locating means comprise a pair of spacedvertically-extending pins disposed centrally of the length of therespective wall, and another pair of vertically-extending pins eachdisposed adjacent one end of the respective wall, the central pins beinglonger than the other pins.
 4. A roofing system as claimed in claim 2,wherein the said locating means comprise a pair of spacedvertically-extending pins disposed centrally of the length of therespective wall, and another pair of vertically-extending pins eachdisposed adjacent one end of the respective wall, the central pins beinglonger than the other pins.
 5. A roofing system as claimed in claim 1,wherein means for locking together each gable member and its adjacenttruss end comprise a horizontal member on the gable member engaging abracket adjacent the top of the truss end, and means fastening thehorizontal member and the bracket together.
 6. A roofing system asclaimed in claim 2, wherein means for locking together each gable memberand its adjacent truss end comprise a horizontal member on the gablemember engaging a bracket adjacent the top of the truss end, and meansfastening the horizontal member and the bracket together.
 7. A roofingsystem as claimed in claim 3, wherein means for locking together eachgable member and its adjacent truss end comprise a horizontal member onthe gable member engaging a bracket adjacent the top of the truss end,and means fastening the horizontal member and the bracket together.
 8. Aroofing system as claimed in claim 1, including roof panels extendingbetween each immediately adjacent pair of gable members, wherein themeans for securing each panel to its respective gable member comprise atleast one headed pin extending generally vertically from each gablemember, each pin being engageable by a respective pear-shaped apertureof the panel member, each aperture having its narrow end uppermost andof too small diameter to pass over the head of the pin.
 9. A roofingsystem as claimed in claim 2, including roof panels extending betweeneach immediately adjacent pair of gable members, wherein the means forsecuring each panel to its respective gable member comprise at least oneheaded pin extending generally vertically from each gable member, eachpin being engageable by a respective pear-shaped aperture of the panelmember, each aperture having its narrow end uppermost and of too smalldiameter to pass over the head of the pin.
 10. A roofing system asclaimed in claim 3, including roof panels extending between eachimmediately adjacent pair of gable members, wherein the means forsecuring each panel to its respective gable member comprise at least oneheaded pin extending generally vertically from each gable member, eachpin being engageable by a respective pear-shaped aperture of the panelmember, each aperture having its narrow end uppermost and of too smalldiameter to pass over the head of the pin.
 11. A roofing system asclaimed in claim 5, including roof panels extending between eachimmediately adjacent pair of gable members, wherein the means forsecuring each panel to its respective gable member comprise at least oneheaded pin extending generally vertically from each gable member, eachpin being engageable by a respective pear-shaped aperture of the panelmember, each aperture having its narrow end uppermost and of too smalldiameter to pass over the head of the pin.